How is University/College like?

[Galaxy]

Asalaamu alaykum, I am just wondering how university and college is like because I have a lot of questions in my head, I want to ask you.

[hawa14]

What do you want to know specifically? Ask a question and I'll try to answer :)

[Salahudeen]

Asalaamu alaykum, I am just wondering how university and college is like because I have a lot of questions in my head, I want to ask you.

It can be a big trial for you and make you go away from Islam if you mix with the wrong people. In uni lots of people are all about partying and clubbing and they try to get you to go with them. And if you don't have any practising friends in your class it's a very hard environment to be in.

The work aspect isn't that bad depending on what uni you go to, at my uni the lecturers are very nice and they tell you what you need to know for your exam during the lectures, but other uni's they don't, my friend who goes to another uni had no idea what to study for his exam and subsequently failed his first year.

They expect you to cover a lot of material, my advise is, if you're planning on going to uni, find out what books they teach from and purchase them. Then do some self study so you have a head start, because each week they go through a chapter of the book, so if you're familiar with the book before you even start then you'll find life so much easier and you won't fall behind. Because they expect you to cover a lot of material.

[.iman.]

wa3likoum salaam sister. I think it depends on where you go to school. I went to a 4 year university in the US, so I am sure that my experience will be different someone that went in the UK or another country. I also wasn't Muslim at the time, so I had the "typical" experience of going out and doing haram things (May Allah pardon me!). Once I got through all of the required/useless classes, and I actually got into classes that were specifically regarding my major (education), I LOVED them and I made straight As.

I know at my university there was a Muslim students association, and I believe they have a house on campus (for brothers only, though). If you plan on living in a dormitory, usually you can request to live with another Muslim girl. OR if the college is in your home town, then just live at home, it's much cheaper and you will appreciate having home cooked meals. :)

I am sure you have tons of questions, so we are all here to help you ukhti.

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[joyous fairy]

Walaykum Salam,

In my experiences, college is a lot different to uni. I enjoyed college a lot more, however, there was a lot more work and a lot more hours to attend. The teachers were available throughout the day and helped a lot more at college.

In uni you get a lot of free time. I used to have at least one day off and sometimes had to go in just for an hour, which was a bit annoying sometimes and I missed a lot of those hour lessons. :hmm:

The lecturers were really nice but they didnt help if you didnt ask for it. Also, we did end up getting a lot of lectures that had nothing to do with the assignments but were related to the module in general. At first it was quite difficult to get used to because from my college experience, I always knew what to do for my work and what to revise, but within a few months I got used to it.

If you join a few societies you'll end up meeting a lot more people. In my course there were no Muslims at all but I joined the Islamic society and met a lot of sisters.

[Galaxy]

Jazaakum Allahu khayr for answering. I understand you must work very hard to in university/college. What do I need to do in high school to get in? Also I am hearing that you need 500+ community service hours in order to get in, is that true? How long are the lectures? So can you just take on lecture and then go home? I have no idea.

[.iman.]

Yes, it can be hard to get into a university, but some people who don't do well (or want to save money) start with a community college for 2 years, and then transfer. I am in the US, and this is what is generally required to get into college:

English - 4 years
Maths - 3 to 4 years
History & Geography - 2 to 3 years
Science- 2 to 4 years
Foreign Language - 2 to 4 years
Arts - 1 year
Electives (classes you choose) 1 to 3 years

With colleges, not all have the same requirements, so if you have an idea of where you would want to go, it would be best to contact them to find out. Does your school have guidance counselors? They can also help you. In the US, we also have to take a standardized test your last year in high school, either the ACT or SAT and you have to achieve a certain score to be accepted. Most colleges require a certain GPA (grade point average) to accept you too, so you have to get good grades.

As far as community service, here is it not a requirement for most public universities, but it would always help your candidature because they like to see people who are involved.

Also for college lectures, depending upon the subject, some of the classes can be HUGE, I had a chemistry class where there were at least 300 people and it was in a giant auditorium. Otherwise, when I had normal classes there were about 30-40 students in each class. When you register for college, you will have an academic advisor that will help you set up all your classes for your specific program. In most cases, they will already have set days/times and you can pick which times (if more than one course is offered) you want to go and fit it to your schedule. Some classes are 1 hour, some can last 3-4 hours, just depends. Then you will get a schedule with all your classes, your professors names, where it is taught (some campuses have more than 1 building), the dates/times and then you usually get a list of your books.

I hope that helps! And if you aren't in the US then just ignore that, LOL.

[IsamBitar]

Oh, university! Well, you just need to find the right company and make sure you choose the major you want. If you want to ask specific questions, feel free to do so. We're all here university students (I believe) and we could help you out.

[Salahudeen]

Jazaakum Allahu khayr for answering. I understand you must work very hard to in university/college. What do I need to do in high school to get in? Also I am hearing that you need 500+ community service hours in order to get in, is that true? How long are the lectures? So can you just take on lecture and then go home? I have no idea.

What country are you in?

[ardianto]

Jazaakum Allahu khayr for answering. I understand you must work very hard to in university/college. What do I need to do in high school to get in?

At first you must graduated from high school and have a high school diploma. Then register and taking entrance test. But I heard in some countries students need to take one year preparation class before study in universities.

Is it hard to go to university ?. Depend on which university you want to study. Entrance tests in best universities are very very hard. Entrance tests in 'lower level' universities are not too hard. Even there are universities which entrance tests are formality only, everyone can study in universities like these as long as afford to pay study costs. But universities like this is not good, I don not suggest you to study in university like this.

Also I am hearing that you need 500+ community service hours in order to get in, is that true?

I never heard a student need 500+ community service hours before study in university, at least I never heard about it in Indonesia. But maybe there are countries that have rule like this.

However, in certain majors/faculties in many countries, students in year 3-4 are obliged to work for community service. It could less than 500 hours, could more than 500 hours. But it depend on which country and which faculty.

How long are the lectures?

Depend on which country I think. But in Indonesia lecture for one subject usualy 1 or 2 hours. In a day students could study in 4 or 7 hours.

So can you just take on lecture and then go home? I have no idea.

Same like in high school, you must present in the class room and follow the lecture.

[Galaxy]

Well there were a lot questions in my head that were not stupid but three weeks has passed and I had forgotten most of them. Instead of answering my questions that are all over the place maybe you can tell me your transition from Grade 12 to University, meaning the whole process.

[ardianto]

maybe you can tell me your transition from Grade 12 to University, meaning the whole process.

Depend on the country's rule.

In Indonesia, student who graduated from high high school can register to universities and taking the entrance test. But I heard, in some other countries not every student who graduated from high school can go to universities directly, there are students who allowed to go to universities, there are students who must go to colleges.